Madison Heights manager lovin' it at top of McDonald's list

Sterling Heights is home to one of the nation’s best performing McDonald’s, earning Mudassir Saiyed of Madison Heights the Ray Kroc Award, which is given to the top 1 percent of the fast-food chain’s restaurant managers.

Saiyed, 38, said he helped keep 2012 sales strong at Mound and 16 Mile roads with location-specific coupons and deals, proper staffing at peak times, especially the lunch hour, and attention to good service.

In the last quarter of 2012, the Sterling Heights restaurant was No. 1 in Michigan based on a score card of criteria ranging from sales to customer satisfaction.

The store is corporate owned and Saiyed said he couldn’t divulge exact numbers except to say sales increased 13.2 percent during a sluggish period for the company.

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A husband and father of two, Saiyed recently transferred to the McDonald’s in Troy at 4819 Rochester Road near Long Lake Road, where he hopes to be a company 1 percenter again.

“I try to do every single little thing right and together it adds up to success,” Saiyed said.

He began working for the world’s largest restaurant chain nine years ago.

“I joined the company to finish college and decided to stay,” he said.

He never quit school either. Saiyed has an MBA from Lawrence Technological University and he takes business law and corporate finance classes at Wayne State University.

“My goal is to move up in the company,” he said.

For the short term, however, Saiyed is looking to repeat on the award named after Ray Kroc, the McDonald’s Corporation founder. The award was established in 1999 to recognize hard-working restaurant managers who turn a profit; meet standards of quality, service and cleanliness; and give back to the community.

Saiyed’s dedication to McDonald’s also can be seen outside the restaurant and after working hours. He frequently volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House.

He is among 140 managers throughout the country to be selected for the annual honor. In addition to a trophy, he will receive a ring, pin and trip to Chicago for an awards gala.

Saiyed thinks he can do it again in Troy based on the store’s 2013 performance.

“This location has a lot of opportunity,” he said of the Rochester Road restaurant, which is down the street from another Mickey D’s and a few miles from two others.

However, challenges persist. Global sales at McDonald’s restaurants fell 1.5 percent in February. That was less than the 1.6 percent analysts estimated but the results came as polls show low- and middle-income Americans are cutting back on restaurant meals because of higher taxes and gasoline costs.

Last October, McDonald’s reported its first global monthly restaurant sales decline in nine years. Even so, Saiyed saw an increase at the Sterling Heights location.

“That was a tough time,” he said, adding the dollar menu and new products help.

Next month McDonald’s will begin offering Egg White Delight, a lower-calorie version of the Egg McMuffin. The new sandwich also contains bacon and white cheddar on a whole grain English muffin. It’s 250 calories compared to 300 calories for the Egg McMuffin.

“A lot of people are more health conscious,” Saiyed said.

He also is accepting competitor’s coupons at the Troy location.

McDonald’s owners, operators or regional staff nominates restaurant managers for the Ray Kroc Award. Then, a selection committee determines the top 1 percent of managers for the Ray Kroc Award.

McDonald’s serves 25 million customers a day at its 14,000 U.S. restaurants, nearly 90 percent of which are independently owned and operated.